


Promise

by TVXQmamacita



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Guilt, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Precious Peter Parker, Stalking, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 04:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVXQmamacita/pseuds/TVXQmamacita
Summary: It’s 3:38 AM, and it’s been four days since Peter went missing.It’s been four days since Tony slept.





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> So here's chapter 1! Though I've been in the Marvel fandom for years and years, I've finally gotten (somewhat) brave enough to write a short fic. Hope you all enjoy!

“Tony, please,” Pepper pleads as she stands at the entrance of the lab. “You need to get some rest.” 

Tony hates the fact that Pepper felt the need to beg him to do something as basic as going to sleep.

But Tony can’t rest; not while his kid is still missing; not while he’s fully aware of the fact that May is losing her mind as she worries about her kid; not while he’s completely aware of the fact that he’s failed at bringing Peter back to them.

He can’t rest. He has to find Peter. He has to bring him back home.

It’s 3:38 AM, and it’s been four days since Peter went missing. 

It’s been four days since Tony slept.

“I need to find him,” Tony mutters. “I haven’t found him and-”

“Tony, you’re no good for him like this,” Pepper reasons. “You need to get some sleep, and you can continue looking for Peter when you wake up.”

Tony doesn’t understand Pepper’s concern. He’s always been the type to accomplish so much with several days of no sleep. Finding Peter would be no exception. “Pep, he needs me,” Tony says, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “There has to be something I’m missing…” and he goes back to work.

Peter Parker went missing, not Spiderman, which makes Tony wonder what grudge anyone would have against a fifteen year old kid leaving his best friend’s house after a movie marathon. Tony never received a ransom demand, or some long, drawn out speech about revenge, so there was no way Peter was kidnapped to send Tony Stark a message.

It drives Tony crazy that he can’t get answers. Peter disappeared without a trace, and Tony hasn’t been able to find a single lead. 

“Come to bed, Tony,” Pepper tries again. She’s been watching Tony slowly kill himself these past four days, and she can’t take it anymore. She approaches him, placing her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “You’re going to find Peter. And when he’s back, and he finds you like this, you know how upset he’ll be. You  _ have  _ to take a break. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“I’m… I'm so tired,” Tony admits before he can stop himself. His shoulders drop and he tries to avoid eye contact with Pepper, but fails. Tony feels as if Pepper’s eyes are piercing into his soul, and he’s powerless to protest anymore.

Tony hasn’t felt this weak in a long time.

Pepper can’t remember the last time Tony looked so defeated, and the fact that Tony admitted to how tired he was spoke volumes.

“Then come to bed,” Pepper says softly. “Get some rest. You can keep looking for Peter after you wake up, okay?”

Tony sighs. Sleep sounds so good right now. But Peter needs him. Peter needs to be brought home. 

“We’ll have FRIDAY wake you up in a couple of hours,” Pepper continues, already aware of what’s going on through Tony’s mind. “But please, don’t do this to yourself, Tony.”

Finally, Tony gives the slightest of nods, and allows his fiancee to lead him to their bedroom. 

Tony gets into bed, and the last thing he remembers is Pepper planting a kiss on his forehead before he closes his eyes and falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

“Tony,” Rhodey says as he walks into the lab. He’s hesitant, and Tony notices right away.

“Rhodey.” His mouth hangs open as he tried to read his best friend’s expression. After knowing each other for so long, they couldn’t hide anything from each other no matter how hard either of them tried.

Tony can feel his throat constricting as Rhodey approaches him. He can see the dread in his best friend’s eyes and he already suspects the worst. 

Rhodey has bad news to deliver, and Tony doesn’t think he’s ready to hear it.

Rhodey swallows the lump in his throat. “They...found someone that fits Peter’s description.”

Tony’s legs give way, whether from relief or fear, he wasn't too sure. But had Rhodey not been there to catch him, he would probably be a heap on the floor. 

Rhodey was always there to catch him when he fell. 

“Can we see him?” Tony asks as he regains his footing. For some reason, he can’t keep eye contact with Rhodey, looking at every inch of the room except his best friend. “Why haven’t they gotten an ID from him? Have they tried talking to him? Maybe we can-”

Rhodey, still keeping a tight hold on Tony’s arms, shakes his head. “Tony he’s...he’s dead.” His voice breaks. He knows nothing is confirmed yet. He knows this might not even be Peter.

But that doesn’t stop the pain clawing at his chest.

Rhodey remembers the way his heart stopped when he first got the alert.  _ John Doe found dead in Manhattan. Brown hair, brown eyes, between the ages of 15 and 18.  _ As he made his way to Tony, praying that his head would stop spinning, he didn’t think he would ever be ready to see Tony’s reaction. 

That was one thing Rhodey was right about. Because he was watching Tony fall apart, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep it together either.

“Tony. Tony listen to me,” Rhodey urges, preventing Tony from falling once again. In hindsight, he realizes that he should have had Tony sit down before they started this conversation. “We don’t know if it’s him. He’s in the morgue now. We can-”

Tony forces himself from Rhodey’s hold, standing on wobbly legs. 

“I...I have to check,” Tony says breathlessly. 

“Of course.” Rhodey doubts Tony is processing anything he’s saying anymore, but he continues anyway. “I’ll go with you.” 

Because if this boy was Peter, and Rhodey was praying hard that it wasn’t, but if it was Peter, then he wouldn’t allow Tony to be alone. 

“Don’t tell May,” Tony adds. “Not yet, not unless we’re sure.”

Rhodey isn’t sure if Tony is giving him instructions or just talking to himself, but Rhodey nods anyway.

The two of them are enveloped in their suits a few seconds later, flying full speed to Manhattan.

It can’t be Peter. It shouldn’t be Peter. They didn’t want it to be Peter.

_ Please don’t be Peter. _

* * *

It isn’t Peter.

This boy is too tall, his hair is too long, his face isn’t as round.

It isn’t Peter.

This kid, whoever he is, died of a heroin overdose last night.

Tony feels guilty, because there was no way he should feel relieved just because the dead kid he was looking at wasn’t  _ his  _ kid.

This was still someone’s kid, someone’s  _ dead _ kid.

A dead kid whose family has yet to know that their son is dead.

Tony hates himself a little more.

He feels sick to his stomach.

But he doesn’t have time to wallow in self-hate; he can do that later. 

As far as they knew, Peter was still alive somewhere, and Tony had to find him.

* * *

Peter wants his clothes back, or at least a blanket. 

His boxers aren’t doing much to protect him from the cold. 

He can’t get his eyes to open and his body feels so heavy, as if his bones have been replaced with lead.

He isn’t chained, he wasn’t strapped down. 

Knowing that made him feel so much worse.

He’s been trying so hard to move, get his body to do  _ something _ , but his muscles are useless. He’s so sluggish and no matter how hard he tries, Peter can’t fight it.

Peter went from being able to effortlessly throw a truck to not even being able to lift his arms over his head.

That’s even scarier than being kidnapped.

He stiffens when he felt a hand stroking his cheek.

“You’re so perfect, Peter,” a voice whispers.

Peter hates that voice.

“The others can’t compare to you.”

_ The others?  _ Peter chokes on his own breath. Even with his mind surrounded by fog, he was still able to process that.

He wasn’t the only one. This man had done all this before. Oh God. If there were others, where were they? What happened to them? How many were there?

Peter still can’t move. He wants to get himself to push this man away, fight him, or at least run or scream.

But he doesn’t do any of that; he  _ can’t _ do any of that.

“Let’s get ready for our next shot, okay?”

* * *

Tony doesn’t know what he’s going to do first after he finds Peter.

Hug him probably, because he knows Peter will need all the comfort he could possibly get. 

Tear apart the guys that kidnapped him slowly and painfully. Whatever pain they might have inflicted on Peter, he wants them to feel that times a hundred.

He’ll tell the kid how much he cared about him; let Peter know how much he loves him, make sure Peter knows how special he is. Peter needs to know how much he was missed. He needs to know his value. Tony knows how low Peter thinks of himself, and Tony hates the fact that he hasn’t done everything he could to change Peter's view.

Spend more time with Peter; that was important too. There was no point in telling Peter how much he loved him without actions to back him up.

Maybe, he’ll buy Peter a new Lego set, or take him somewhere he’s never been to, like Disney World. Tony bets Peter would love Disney World.

He'll help Peter get a date with that Michelle girl he keeps talking about.

And, if May lets him, he’ll probably place Peter in a giant bubble to be kept under strict surveillance so that no one would ever be able to hurt him again.

Because Peter deserves to be happy; he deserves to be safe; and he deserves to be loved. He deserves all of that and so much more.

* * *

May opens the door after the first knock.

“Hey, Tony,” she greets as she opens the door. “Is...is everything okay?”

Tony doesn’t know how to answer that. Nothing was okay, not with Peter still missing. But Tony can hear what May was trying to say behind her question:  _ Is my boy still alive? _

He takes in her appearance; her cheeks are red and slightly swollen, there are dark bags under her red eyes, her hair looks tangled and knotted. 

All Tony can see is how much this woman has suffered, and he wants nothing more than to take some of that away.

“I’m still looking for him,” Tony says. “I’m gonna find him, May.”

May nods. Despite her pain, despite her fear, despite everything she has already gone through in her life, she still smiles at him. “I know,” she replies in a broken whisper.

Tony can't understand why, after letting her down so many times already, she still has any faith in him. 

But she he invites him in and Tony accepts.

“I miss him,” she says as they make their way to the couch and sit down. “I miss him so much.” A tear escapes her eye, one of millions that she’s shed already. She quickly wipes it away and forces herself to smile again. 

Tony feels so weak at May’s insistence to be strong.

Tony, the last person on earth who’s qualified to give advice on self-care, clears his throat. “May, have you been sleeping okay? Eating?”

May swallows. “Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I see Peter.” She chuckles, but a tear falls from her eye again and this time she doesn’t try to wipe it away. “And everything’s so wonderful. He’s smiling, he’s making jokes, he’s going crazy over whatever small thing piqued his interest that day...”

Tony nods. Something tells him that May’s story is about to go downhill.

“But then everything changes all of a sudden,” May continues. “He’s ripped away from me. He’s screaming. There’s a man hurting him and...and Peter’s calling for me but there’s nothing I can do to help.”

Tony really hates being right.

May sobs as she buries her face in her hands. “What if...what if he’s calling for me right now and-” her breath cuts short -”and what if he’s hurt somewhere?”

Tony’s heart bleeds at the woman’s pain and he can’t stop himself from pulling her into a hug.

Tony knows the pain she’s feeling right now. He knows how terrible it feels to know that Peter’s out there somewhere, probably hurt, scared, or alone. He knows what it’s like to think that Peter was waiting for Iron Man to save him, and everyday Iron Man disappointed him more and more.

“You can’t do that to yourself, May,” Tony pleads.  _ Because it’ll eat you up inside until there’s nothing left,  _ he supplies in his mind. “Peter knows how much you care about him. He knows you’d do anything to get him back.”

“I feel like I’ve failed him,” May says. “He’s the most important person in my life and I was supposed to protect him.”

Tony and May were different in a lot of ways. One similarity they shared, however, was their undying love for Peter and their insistence that his disappearance was somehow their fault.

“I need Peter so much more than he realizes.”

Tony shook his head. “May...I’m so sorry,” he says. 

“None of this is your fault,” May replies. She separates from the hug and begins to wipe her face. “You need to know that too. There’s nothing you could have done and you’re not responsible for any of this.”

Maybe that was true, but that still didn’t stop Tony from blaming himself. There must have been  _ something _ he could have done to prevent this. There must be  _ something _ he’s not doing now that could bring Peter back to them.

“Whatever happens,” May continues. “Whatever comes out of this, you have to know that this wasn’t your fault.” 

Tony doesn’t know if he should cry or laugh. He and May are both hypocrites, giving each other advice that they can’t seem to follow themselves.

And Tony wonders, for the billionth time this past week alone, why Peter and May never seemed to catch a break.

* * *

The police haven’t been much help.

Everyone is telling Tony to take breaks from his constant hunt for Peter, that the police know what they’re doing and that they could be trusted. 

That couldn’t be more far from the truth.

If Peter’s survival depended on the police department’s competence, then all hope of Peter coming home could fly out the window.

Tony couldn’t let that happen.

* * *

“FRIDAY, do another search of missing person reports of boys matching Peter’s description,” Tony commands. “This time, make it within the last ten years, and increase the radius to 200 miles.”

It only takes FRIDAY a few seconds to produce results, but Tony still finds himself becoming jittery during the wait. He’s sure the amount of coffee he’s downed doesn’t help either. 

Tony goes through the new cases FRIDAY has presented him. The number of kidnapping and murder cases throughout New York were many in number, but none of them gave him enough of a pattern for Tony to look at. Tony was grasping at straws at this point, desperate for any clue that might lead to Peter.

“Tony.”

He turns around and sees Natasha entering the room with a StarkPad, her eyebrows creased as she looked at the screen.

“Nat,” he replies. “What’s wrong?” The look in her eyes is so intense, and he knows he’ll hate whatever words will come out of her mouth next.

“Peter went to an international party two months ago,” she says as she hands him the StarkPad.

Tony doesn’t understand why she’s telling him this; he already knew that. Midtown High hosted a party for its students two months ago as some sort of cultural exchange event. Peter wouldn’t stop raving about it during the weeks leading up to it. He was so unbelievably excited when the day finally came. Through it all, Peter kept sending pictures and videos to Tony and May.

Tony saved every single one of them.

“I figured whoever took Peter might have been watching him for a while,” Natasha continues.

Something in Tony’s brain clicks, and he realizes what she’s trying to say. He feels his heart drop to his stomach. 

“There was someone at the exchange, Tony,” she says. 

Tony watches the video. All he wants to do is focus on Peter’s smiling face, look into those bright eyes, and watch as Peter’s curly hair gets even more messy as a gust of wind hits. But that’s not what Natasha came here for, and that’s not what’s going to find Peter. So Tony searches until he sees his real target. He can’t make out the man’s face, but he sees what’s happening. 

Peter, Ned, and MJ are watching four girls from their school perform a dance. 

While everyone’s cameras are focused on the girls, this man’s camera is focused on Peter, the camera preventing any chance of an ID of the man. All that can be seen is his mop of blond hair.

“Is...is this the only video of him?” 

Natasha shakes her head. “He’s in other videos from that day, but it’s all the same. He has a camera fixed on Peter the whole time.”

Tony curls his fingers into fists. His body grew hot as rage flowed through his veins like a poison. Someone had been watching Peter that day, taking pictures of him as if he were part of some kind of exhibit.

“Tony, there’s more.” Natasha pauses, knowing that Tony already isn’t taking all this new information well. She notices how quickly his demeanor had changed. “A blond man with a camera was also at two of Peter’s decathlon meets,” she finally adds. “It’s definitely the same guy.”

Tony wants to throw up. How long had this man been following Peter?  _ Stalking  _ Peter?

“Gather all the videos you’ve found this guy in.” Tony isn’t sure how successful he is in making sure his voice doesn’t shake. But Natasha is listening to his every word, so Tony didn’t care how broken he sounded. “If we can get one good shot of his face maybe FRIDAY will find something.”

Natasha nods, taking back the StarkPad and leaving the room once more.

* * *

Tony can remember the heavy phone calls that changed his life; these were the calls that had succeeded in knocking all the breath out of him. The call informing him that his parents died; the call informing him that Jarvis died, the call informing him that Happy was in a coma, the call in which he found out that Pepper had been kidnapped, to name a few.

When Tony’s receives a call from an unknown number, the last thing he expects is for his heart to race, for the room to stop spinning, or for the hair on the back of his neck to rise.

_ “M-Mis’r St’rk.” _

Tony feels his throat close up at the voice. He’s missed this voice so much. Tony’s knees become wobbly and he places his hands on the workbench for support.

“Hey, kiddo,” Tony breathes. A sound escapes his lips, something between a laugh and sob at the same time. “FRIDAY. trace this call - quickly.” He swallows, trying so hard to keep his voice steady. He needs to at least pretend to be strong for Peter’s sake. "It's me."

_ “Help.”  _ Peter sounds so afraid, he sounds like he’s on the verge of tears, he sounds like he’s in so much pain. 

But most importantly, he’s alive, and that’s all Tony wants to focus on. 

“I will," Tony promises. "Just stay on the phone for a bit. Okay, Peter? I’ll come get you.”  _ I’ll always come and get you.  _

_ “Um...I don’t-” _

_ “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” _ another voice cuts in. 

Tony feels his body grow cold at the voice. “Peter!”

_ “No, please I’m sorry!” _ There was a scream, and the line disconnected.

“Peter!” Tony knows he won’t get another response, but he tries anyway. “Peter, no…” 

“I’m sorry, Boss,” FRIDAY apologizes. “I couldn’t get a location.”

* * *

** _Teenage boy found dead behind Queens gas station._ **

“It’s not him it’s  _ not _ him!” Steve yells, trying to calm Tony down as much as possible. 

It wasn’t working.

The only language Tony understood, however, was panic. All he could see was the headline title glaring back at him like a demon. “He killed Peter for trying to call me, I-”

“Tony. Tony listen to me.” Steve placed his hands on Tony’s shoulders, forcibly turning Tony to look at him. “I read that article. It’s  _ not _ Peter. They identified the body as soon as he was found. It’s not Peter.” Steve doesn’t care how many times he had to say that. He’d scream it until his voice was hoarse if it meant Tony understood him.

“Then where the hell is he?!” Tony demands. He’s trying so hard to catch his breath but is failing greatly. “Where’s Peter?”

“We’ll find him,” Steve promises.

It’s as if Steve’s words get lost in the oblivion. His words sound so loud yet far away. Tony feels weak and dizzy and just wants everything to stop. “Where’s Peter?” he asks again. 

Steve sighs, placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.

“We’ll find him.”

* * *

Elliot Collins.

That’s the name of the bastard FRIDAY gave him through facial recognition.

That’s the name of the bastard that took Peter from them.

That’s the name of the bastard that Tony was going to break apart piece by piece.

* * *

A whimper escapes from the back of Peter’s throat. “No more,” he moans, his words are slurring so much he could barely understand himself. If he had any energy, he’d be more concerned.

But he hated the injections. They made him so weak. “Please...no more.”

Why did he keep drugging him when he knew Peter had already been so weak?

“Shh,” the man said, stroking Peter’s cheek in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. “It’s okay.”

Peter felt the needle pierce the crook of his elbow, the cool liquid being forced into his veins.

Peter didn’t even realize when his eyes had slipped closed.

* * *

Elliot Collins’ apartment was a bust.

Of course it would be. If this guy was as smart as Tony thought he was, he wouldn’t keep Peter in a place as obvious as his apartment.

Tony was such an idiot to think they could just walk into Collins’ apartment and Peter would be right there waiting for them.

Tony was such an idiot to actually believe that Peter would be so easy to find. 

* * *

Rhodey is there when Tony finally collapsed from exhaustion. 

Of course that caused a panic throughout the compound. 

Tony was rushed to the medbay, where Bruce had given him a sedative.

“He’ll be out for a while,” Bruce informs them. “It’s what he needs most right now.”

* * *

Happy places a cup of coffee in front of Tony, and the other man gives him a look of appreciation.

“This definitely does not mean you’re allowed to not sleep,” Happy says. “I don’t want you landing in the hospital again.”

“I’ll be fine, Hap,” Tony reassures. 

For some reason, Happy believes him.

“Need help with anything?” he offers.

Tony takes a sip of his coffee. “I haven’t found more information about this guy,” Tony painfully admits. That wasn’t a real answer, but the response showed that Tony was up for conversation, and Happy was okay with that. “Collins’ boss says he hasn’t come into work since...two days before Peter went missing. Vacation time. The guy’s practically a ghost. If he’s made any monetary transactions anywhere, it’s all been in cash.”

“Has FRIDAY found him on any surveillance?” Happy asks. “Street cams, grocery stores, hotels…”

Tony shakes his head. He’s getting desperate, and he once again, is close to hitting a dead end. Peter’s kidnapper is either really smart or really lucky; probably a little bit of both. Either way, Tony couldn’t believe how hard this had become. 

“He left his cell phone in his apartment,” Tony adds. “The phone Peter used must have been a burner.”

Happy notices his best friend’s body tense up. “Tony,” he says. He takes a deep breath. “This guy’s good. Too good.”

Tony’s listening, already knowing where Happy might be going with this. He swipes through pages and pages of information on his screen. 

“Peter might not be the first person he’s…” Happy trailed off.

“I know,” Tony says with a curt nod. He knows that and it’s killing him. But with no solid information about this guy or what he could be doing to Peter right now, Tony couldn’t figure out a connection. 

So many teenagers in New York end up dead or missing, and Tony couldn’t believe there were so many of them.

After Peter was found, the Avengers really needed to come up with a solution to that.

“He’s lived in New York his whole life,” Tony says about Peter’s kidnapper. “If he has other victims, then they’d all be in New York, too.” He sighs, because he’s coming to a conclusion he doesn’t want to face. “All of the missing boys who were eventually found were either runaways or victims of different kidnapping cases; all of them already solved.”

Happy shook his head. “Tony-”

“Collins’ other victims might all be dead.”

There was a heavy silence in the room, something that didn’t happen frequently with the both of them. But the truth hits them hard, causing a heavy weight to settle in their minds.

Peter might be in the hands of someone who will eventually kill him, and Tony hadn’t gotten any closer to finding him.

If Tony didn’t find Peter on time, he might be just bringing home a dead body for May to bury.

“I promised May I’d get her boy back,” Tony mutters, an empty look in his eyes. “I...I think I made a promise that I can’t keep.”

That is the first time Tony had something remotely related to Peter not coming home, and it scared Happy more than he thought it would.

If Tony lost all hope in finding this kid, then what hope do any of them have anymore?

* * *

“Stay still, Peter.” 

He holds Peter down, the boy weakly squirming under his loose grip.

“This will only sting a little, okay?”

Peter didn’t get a chance to respond; even his tongue was too heavy to work.

He felt the pain before he realized what was going on.

The only thing Peter could manage was a whimper as he felt something sharp slide against his stomach.

_ Not this again, _ Peter’s sluggish mind begged, as if hoping that his captor might have telepathic powers.

“I’m going to make you even more beautiful.”

* * *

“Who is this kid to you, Tony?” Steve asks. 

Besides the fact that Tony told everyone that Peter lived with his aunt in Queens, Tony never shared much else. No one knew where Peter came from or how Tony came to know about Peter. Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey knew more, but like Tony, didn’t volunteer anymore information about Peter. Tony didn’t want Peter under a spotlight, and he made sure it stayed that way. 

The kid didn't come with a real introduction. After the Avengers' rough reunion, communication between Steve and Tony progressively got easier. 

So when Steve called Tony for some intel, his call was somehow forwarded to Happy, who informed Steve that Tony needed time with Peter today, and unless there was another intergalactic threat that would result in the death of thousands, they were not to be disturbed.

Steve didn't get an explanation as to who Peter was, and it wasn't until several months later that he finally met Peter. Steve arrived at the compound the same time Peter was leaving, in which Tony said, "stop drooling over Cap and go home before May yells at us both". 

Steve had a few suspicions for a while since meeting Peter. It was odd that Tony Stark was suddenly attached to a kid who sort of appeared out of nowhere. 

Steve had known about Tony’s life before he became Iron Man, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Tony had an illegitimate child running around somewhere. Steve just assumed that Peter was that child.

Pepper didn’t seem to mind having Peter around all the time, if anything, she welcomed the kid just as much as Tony did.

Steve figured that was what was important anyway.

Tony seemed so happy with Peter, and Steve couldn't help but be happy for Tony too.

Tony sighs. “He’s…” he trails off. How could he answer that? He had no idea who Peter was to him. Peter was...Peter. There wasn’t any one definition that he could use. 

Peter wasn’t just an intern; Tony had never been so emotionally invested in his interns anyway.

Peter wasn’t his son, Tony definitely didn’t have the right to call him that.

His mentee? But their relationship had to have been deeper than that.

“He’s family,” Tony finally says. “And I need him to be okay.”

* * *

This time it felt different. 

Peter’s body still felt like lead, his mind was still foggy, and he couldn’t see straight no matter how hard he tried.

But now he felt hot, so so hot, while at the same time feeling as if he had just been dumped in a tub of ice water.

Every breath he took was harder than the last.

“Hm.” Despite the haze, Peter still heard the voice, still saw the blurry figure looking down on him. “This won’t do, Peter.” He shivered at the cold hand that landed on his face. “I thought we’d get more time together.” 

Peter couldn't find the energy to swat the hand away, or to open his mouth and ask to be left alone.

“I have just the place for you.”

Peter had no idea what that meant. He also didn’t care to find out. He just let's his eyes slip closed, and hopes he'll feel better when he wakes up.

* * *

“Whatdya got, FRIDAY?” 

“I found photos of Peter,” the AI replies.

Tony freezes, wondering if he had heard FRIDAY correctly. That definitely wasn’t something he was expecting to hear. “Photos…” he finally mutters. “Photos of - what photos?”

“It seems that Peter’s captor has been taking pictures of him and has recently uploaded them to a private server.”

Tony feels his stomach churn at the announcement. 

Pictures of Peter on a private server? Which means, whatever this man was doing to Peter, he was savoring the moments for himself. Oh God, what moments exactly? What were those pictures? Tony was sure he didn’t want to see them. His mind was already taking him to the darkest possibilities, and he was terrified of his fears being confirmed.

“I’ve also found pictures of three other boys that were in our missing person reports.”

Tony nods, hoping the blurriness in his vision would clear up. “That’s good,” he says. Was that really good? “Which boys were they?”

“Daniel Benson, Raphael Garza, and Evan Smith.”

Tony swallows. He remembers those names. The three of them looked so much like Peter that their cases were forcefully embedded into his brain. But then he remembers one detail the three boys share, and Tony feels his body grow cold.

All three boys had been found dead; their bodies carelessly dumped.

Tony’s throat feels so dry and his palms are starting to sweat. He hates where FRIDAY’s search was taking him, but he had to keep going; he had to find Peter.

“Pull up their files, FRI.”

Information about all three boys were placed on Tony’s screen immediately. All three boys had different causes of death; a temazepam overdose, sepsis, and strangulation. Not only were the causes of death different, but so were the locations that their bodies were found. Three different causes of death would explain why he and the police never connected the three boys to the same killer.

What was this man doing with these boys besides killing them slowly?

Tony scans through their files once more. Another thing each boy had in common was that there was no sexual assault recorded. 

That seems to be the only leg Tony was standing on; the only thing keeping Tony from having a nervous breakdown right then and there.

Elliot Collins has taken so much from Peter already...

“FRIDAY, trace where this server-”

“Already on it, boss,” FRIDAY declares.

“Good.” Tony takes a deep breath. “Call the others. We’re bringing Peter home now.”

_ Hang on, kid. We’re coming for you. _


End file.
